PEORIA — The local food movement takes another step forward when the first regional food summit is held at the RiverPlex Recreation and Wellness Center, 600 NE Water St., from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

“There is a lot more locally-grown food available today in central Illinois, but we have a long way to go,” said Kathleen Brown, a community and economic development educator with the University of Illinois Extension.

“I’m so excited about the variety of people coming in, representing producers, government and non-profit groups. Saturday presents a unique opportunity to talk collectively about what we’re doing well and what we need to do,” she said.

Speakers include Julie Ristau, Gayle Prest and Kristine Igo, all involved with developing local food efforts in Minnesota.

Brown said that only a limited number of community supported agriculture enterprises are available in central Illinois. CSA’s involve consumers who purchase a share, generally costing between $400 and $600, to receive a box of locally-grown produce each week for a 26-week period.

“We need more people growing food in this area,” she said.

Mary Ardapple, the owner of Apple’s Bakery, 8412 N. Knoxville Ave., and a local food advocate, said the promotion of local food provides both health and economic benefits.

“Access to fresh food improves both mental and physical health, while the economic development function means more jobs plus retaining money in the local community,” she said.

“We need to take a larger step when it comes to growing our own food,” said Ardapple.

“We’ve become desensitized to the idea of locally-grown products because of the diversity of goods available in many stores, but there are people in our community who don’t have fresh food as an option,” she said.

Ideas such as community gardens and food co-ops are all part of the local food movement, said Ardapple. “Besides, it’s awesome to know the people that grow your food,” she said.

The cost to attend the food summit is $15. A light lunch and continental-style breakfast will be provided. Registration is available at http://web.extension.illinois.edu/fmpt/.

Steve Tarter is Journal Star business editor. Tarter’s phone number is 686-3260, and his email address is starter@pjstar.com.